The Last Full Week on the Happy Side of the Equinox
September 10th through 16th   
Some of the bolder among us pause the hike to Fall and pick a few of the Summer fruits still available.  Especially when the lake is flat.
While looking back on the week, we can't help but feel seven paces farther along in a relentless march from the highlands of Summer to the coldlands of Autumn.
The hike from Summer to Fall can feel short, but it can be longer than you think.  Proper hydration is one of the most important considerations during this time to avoid problems (headache, dry skin, dizziness, low lake levels).  The lake managed to get about a half an inch of rain this week.  We need more, but we're thankful for any.  And we're thankful that it wasn't snow **shudder**. It's been quiet under the lake this week.  There were not so many power boats, no thunder and no burritos before diving.  Fish are still on cribs that have cover (smaller branches).  Older cribs that have lost their cover were largely fishless all season.  I wonder if the Lake Assocation realizes that without effective crib management they are not stocking the lake as much as they are fattening the loons.
This was the last full week of Summer.  It did not feel like Summer, but it did not feel like Fall either.  There have been no frosts yet but it's been a close thing.  The lake is just above 70℉.  That won't last much longer.  Swimming and skiing in a lake in the 60's (℉) can be uncomfortable, like a nurse stabbing you for blood or a doctor setting a broken bone, only colder.   It's important to push as much lake time as we have left though.  For every ski run that was passed on or swim that was skipped a small, albeit cold, seed of regret is planted that will sprout during the dead of Deep Winter. Only the herbicide of late season lake activity will stop that plant in its tracks.  So it's time to grab that wet suit, dry suit or burrito (whatever keeps you warm) and head to the shore.  See you there.

-Nemo, no broken bones yet.                                              Previous  Next